Controlling insect population is essential to modern agriculture, food storage, and hygiene. Currently, safe and effective encapsulated insecticidal formulations play a significant role in controlling insect populations. Properties of useful encapsulated insecticidal formulations include good efficacy against targeted pests, including good initial toxicity against targeted insects, ease of handling, stability, advantageous residence times in the environment and, in some instances, a long effective period of insecticidal activity after its application to an area adjacent to a population of insects.
Unfortunately, most insecticides formulations, especially liquid-based preparations, lose their efficacy relatively soon after their application. Such insecticide formulations must, therefore, be reapplied to ensure insect control. Additionally, formulations with a short period of post-application activity may result in periods of time during which a surface adjacent to a population of insects is vulnerable to infestation. This creates a need to periodically apply various insecticidal formulations in order to control continuing pest infestations or to prevent their occurrence, increase the amount of insecticides that must be used, and the increased cost associated with their shipping, handling and application.